Boxing: Allana Shaw wins England Boxing National School Championship title

11-year-old Allana Shaw made history on Saturday 26 May by becoming the first female boxer from Rochdale to win the England Boxing National School Championship title.

The final was held at Grantham Meres Leisure Centre in Lincolnshire and stood in the opposite corner was her tall and lean opponent, Lilly Deacon of Roukeys Gym in Bradford.

The bell rang for the first round and both boxers made their way to the in the centre of the ring, intent on securing victory for themselves and their respective clubs.  

As both girls circled around each other it was Shaw who was the first to land a solid one-two combination to the chin.

Deacon stormed in, looking to land a reply only to be met by another one-two combination to the head.

Again, Deacon came into range to try and land a significant punch, but the 11-year-old Rochdale boxer showed her skill by landing a right uppercut to the body followed by a left hook to the head before finishing off with a right hand to the chin. 

Deacon began to use her long jab which caught Shaw on occasion, but it wasn't long before the Hamer youngster began to step out of range before quickly stepping back after Deacon had missed and landing more fast one-two combinations in return. 

The Hamer boxer was in full flow and she landed yet another right uppercut to the body followed by a left hook to the head before using her jab to keep her distance and take the round.          

The bell rang for round two and Deacon stormed out to take the centre of the ring only to be met by a solid right hand to the chin from Shaw. 

Shaw began using her jab to make the Yorkshire boxer throw punches in return and when she did the Hamer youngster stepped out of range to make Deacon miss before stepping back to land shots of her own.

Deacon continued to push forward whilst Shaw was content on using her jab to probe and find her distance before landing telling combinations to the head.

This went on throughout the round as both youngsters slowly began to tire from their exploits.

In the third and final round Shaw came out to land a jab to the body and then to the head before landing a solid one-two combination to the chin, which forced Deacon onto the ropes. 

Shaw landed another one-two combination to the head, then Deacon landed two jabs to the face before missing with a right hook to the head, and then landed a solid right hand to the chin of the Shaw. 

Shaw was warned by the referee to keep up her head as she tried to evade Deacon's punches.

Deacon pressed the action, hoping to land a significant punch, she threw two swinging hooks to the head which Shaw ducked before coming back to land a terrific left hook to the side of the head which forced Deacon back into the corner.

Shaw rushed in to land more punches but both girls got tangled up and the referee split them up before allowing them to continue. As he so, did Shaw landed yet another perfect one-two combination to the head before Deacon landed two swinging hooks in reply.

With the round coming to an end, Deacon was fforcing the action trying to get back into the contest, and just as the bell rang to end the round she landed another three-punch combination to the Shaw's head, but it wasn't enough to take victory and Shaw's hand was raised in triumph via a split-decision to take the in the 50kg Minors category. 

Hamer coach Alan Bacon said "What a terrific performance by both girls and let’s remember they are both only eleven-years-old. Both girls have a terrific future in this sport and the way things are shaping up for girls in boxing now, you never know we might have witnessed the start of a future great in these two extremely talented young females. "

Hamer coach Steven Connellan added: "I cannot compliment this young lady enough. It is not just her boxing ability and her willingness to learn that has allowed Allana to progress in this sport, it's also her attitude to authority and discipline which has changed dramatically since she first joined our boxing club. 

“Allana was always in trouble at school and around the streets where she lived. We addressed this, and she has become a different person. I am not saying she has become an angel, but she as settled down in school more and she now helps out as volunteer at her local community centre.

“This is also a great achievement for our club, who have now gained three national champions in just over one year/ If I am allowed to gloat a little, I now feel that I have finally emulated both my brothers Darren and Tony in some way by helping those young people of Rochdale achieve their goals by winning three national titles after Darren and Tony had won nine national titles between them.

“I also know that I could not possibly achieve this without the help of our great team of coaches within our gym who give up so much of their free time to coach these young people.         

“I would also like to thank my old coach Terry Hernon who helped guide me on this magnificent path from such a young age. I know I didn't fulfil your expectations as a boxer myself Terry but I hope I am doing you proud now by emulating your magnificent coaching skills.”